The Wood Wife...

Terri Windling opens her novel, The Wood Wife, with a quote from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe:

Who wants to understand the poem

Must go to the land of poetry.

The story, focused on writer, Maggie Black, and her investigation of the death of her mentor and friend, a poet named Davis Cooper, is just that – a foray into the land of poetry, the mythical and magical Rincon mountains outside of the city of Tucson, Arizona.  The mysteries of the mountain and its inhabitants, both human and otherworldly, slowly unfold in this poetry-studded exploration of the desert and the many different inner landscapes there.  

Above:  Illustrations done for The Wood Wife by Brian Froud.

What struck me about this novel, besides how beautifully written it is and how likable many of the characters are, is that it felt familiar.  I've been visiting the deserts of Tucson for the past few years now and I must say that there is an incredible magic there.  One, that despite growing up far away under the shade of citrus trees and the blaze of the Florida sun, is easily recognizable.  I was born in the desert and I think there's a little bit of it in my heart.  The desert recharges my spirit in a different way, a way touched on in the novel.  The other thing that's familiar is that we grew up on a steady diet of Brian and Wendy Froud.  Recently, we've had the pleasure of meeting them and their son, adding a new depth of respect and admiration for these talented artists.  Terri Windling, of the Endicott Studio and the Journal of Mythic Arts fame, has pulled these things together and woven a rich tapestry of dreamy lushness.  You can tell from reading her work that she's an artist and a poetess.

I definitely recommend The Wood Wife and I simply can't wait to go to Tucson...